Bible study fellowships are often more of a round table approach to studying the Word of God. Bible study classes are often led by a teacher with a well laid out lesson plan. With a fellowship there is normally a moderator or two that begin discussions based on a certain topic or chapter of a book. With a class the teacher can work from the very same topic or chapter, but the teacher is expected to lead the discussion with little to no interaction from others in attendance. With a fellowship the moderators are attempting to get everyone involved in the discussion. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types Bible Studies.
Advantages to a Bible Study Fellowship: With a fellowship each person often comes with their own thoughts on the subject at hand, so there is a feeling that every member is in some way helping all the other members. Because everyone in the fellowship is allowed to and in fact encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences people get to know each other and friendships form. This is a great way to meet new people if you are new to an area or new to a church.
In large churches small fellowship groups are an important tool to help members feel connected to the rest of the body of believers. In neighborhood fellowship groups, people get to know and often come to count on those people living closest to them.
Disadvantages to a Bible Study Fellowship: Because of the very nature of how a fellowship Bible study is ran some people can try to monopolize the meetings if they feel their opinions or ideas are more important than others. It is important that the moderator or moderators are able to pull the conversation back to topic and on to other individuals if this begins to happen.
Advantages to a Bible Study Class: In a Bible Study class the teacher has more natural authority to lead the class and keep the lesson moving in the direction he has planned. Keeping the lesson focused on a topic is easier for one person to accomplish than a room full.
For shy or withdrawn individuals, being in a class where they are not expected to share, feels safer than being in a fellowship where everyone talks and discusses the topic.
Disadvantages to a Bible Study Class: Many times classes have a discussion time for questions and comments, but there is often not as much time as in a fellowship so the opinions and ideas of the teacher are the main ones expressed. As long as the teacher is a qualified Bible teacher this is often not much of a disadvantage.
So there are pros and cons to both types of study and a person trying to decide which kind to get involved in should consider what he is hoping to gain from the experience. If he is looking for an atmosphere to share ideas and opinions and hopes to get to know people a Bible Study Fellowship might be the best option. If he is looking for an in depth study on a topic he has little knowledge on, and doesn't have a need to form relationships with others at this time, a Bible Study class might be the option. Even though the methods of Bibles studies can be very different, every Bible study is intended to lead individuals into a deeper understanding of the Word of God.